The Arizona Game and Fish Department has launched an innovative new tool that utilizes the latest mapping technology to put wildlife data at your fingertips.
HabiMap™ Arizona is a user-friendly, web-based data viewer that allows users to visually explore the distribution of the state’s wildlife, wildlife conservation potential, and stressors to wildlife.
“This is a great example of how technology can be used to assist in transparent wildlife conservation and project planning,” said Arizona Game and Fish Department Director Larry Voyles. “We’re excited to offer a tool that not only allows the department to better manage wildlife at a statewide scale, but also can be used to help address the growth needs of our state.”
Information available through HabiMap™ Arizona is non-regulatory and may be useful in making decisions about our state’s future growth by considering wildlife early in the planning process. Tools such as HabiMap™ Arizona can help ensure that current and future generations are able to experience Arizona’s rich wildlife heritage.
“Arizona will continue to grow, so the question is not if but how we grow. HabiMap™ Arizona is a tool that can help us have both a healthy economy and healthy wildlife populations,” said Rob Marshall, The Nature Conservancy Director, Center for Science & Public Policy. “We appreciate the department’s investment in developing tools with the capacity to expand and grow as our state changes.”
HabiMap™ Arizona is a component of the department’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), which provides a framework for helping to set the state’s wildlife conservation priorities. HabiMap™ Arizona provides a visual representation of the Species and Habitat Conservation Guide, which includes more than 300 layers of wildlife data and other information to identify the conservation potential at a statewide level.
To learn more about HabiMap™ Arizona, please visit www.habimap.org.